as in detectives
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the popular TV sleuth lives a much more action-packed life than do his real-world counterparts
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Recent Examples of sleuths
Now, her film about a team of amateur sleuths cracking the case has been selected to premiere at SXSW.
—
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Online sleuths noted that Duff and Moore recently unfollowed Tisdale on Instagram, sparking more speculation about reasons for a falling-out, as TMZ reported.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Although Tisdale didn’t name names, online sleuths speculated that the group in question included the likes of Mandy Moore, Meghan Trainor, and Duff.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
Musical sleuths have leaned on Bach’s corpus to reconstruct the work ever since.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Webster learned that the FBI, media organizations, and amateur internet sleuths were using facial-recognition software to identify those who’d stormed the Capitol.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Online sleuths have attempted to identify this trader with no luck.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 5 Jan. 2026
Related Articles The r/findfashion Reddit thread boomed, with hundreds of upvotes on a screenshot of the as-of-then-mysterious puffer, which fashion sleuths quickly ID’d as Mackage’s Kent-Glo High-Gloss Hooded Down Jacket in the pastel Provincial Blue colorway.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 Jan. 2026
Brian Albert, former Boston cop and now Brockton private eye extraordinaire, will hold a press conference to announce the hiring of his two newest very ethical crack sleuths – Michael Proctor and Kelly Dever.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Online sleuths noted that Duff and Moore recently unfollowed Tisdale on Instagram, sparking more speculation about reasons for a falling-out, as TMZ reported.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Although Tisdale didn’t name names, online sleuths speculated that the group in question included the likes of Mandy Moore, Meghan Trainor, and Duff.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
Musical sleuths have leaned on Bach’s corpus to reconstruct the work ever since.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Webster learned that the FBI, media organizations, and amateur internet sleuths were using facial-recognition software to identify those who’d stormed the Capitol.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Online sleuths have attempted to identify this trader with no luck.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 5 Jan. 2026
Related Articles The r/findfashion Reddit thread boomed, with hundreds of upvotes on a screenshot of the as-of-then-mysterious puffer, which fashion sleuths quickly ID’d as Mackage’s Kent-Glo High-Gloss Hooded Down Jacket in the pastel Provincial Blue colorway.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 Jan. 2026
Brian Albert, former Boston cop and now Brockton private eye extraordinaire, will hold a press conference to announce the hiring of his two newest very ethical crack sleuths – Michael Proctor and Kelly Dever.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuths
Noun
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Chicago Police Department Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact Area 2 SVU detectives at 312-747-8274.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Two veteran homicide detectives who once served at the LAPD, including the former detective who oversaw Short's investigation, say that several clues point to Margolis, who died in 1993, being responsible for Short's death and the five murders attributed to the Zodiac Killer.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The investigators and May expressed concern that DeCristo had not addressed her actions.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleuths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuths. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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